Restitution train leaves businesses at the station

Venni “V” Muka is trying to build a fashion, modeling and photography business, Vfashions Inc., on Shrewsbury Street. A fashion model who emigrated to this country from Rwanda, Ms. Muka spent $15,000 to turn manufacturing space in the former Coca-Cola building into a photo studio, complete with lines of prom and wedding dresses, as well as clothing and accessories with an African flair.

“There is a huge problem among the young about self-esteem,” she said. “I want to make young people feel special. I uplift them.”

The address of her business is 333 Shrewsbury St. In her promotional materials, she Photoshopped the façade of her business so it looks like it is flush against the front of the Coca-Cola building.

In reality, there are several hundred feet of former manufacturing space between Shrewsbury Street and her front door. It is like Ms. Muka is trying to make her business’ actual address — probably 3 or 5 Putnam Lane — disappear.

That’s right. Her front door is on the road that was once the favorite cut-through for Worcester motorists, but now dead-ends at the multimillion-dollar construction project that is the CSX freight yard.

She had the bad luck — or bad business sense — to launch her business last February, just before CSX began construction in earnest.

In May of last year, CSX began work on a storm drain line by digging a deep trench through the middle of Putnam Lane.

She had to close her business for three months, because no one could even walk to the door. The following three months were plagued with construction noise, disruptions and unannounced partial closings of the street.

She said CSX officials came to her door and offered to pay her some compensation for her lost business. Then she heard from another CSX official, who said those CSX officials were not authorized to make that offer.

After months of frantic calls to CSX and meeting with city officials, she turned to state Sen. Michael O. Moore, who represents the 2nd Worcester District. She asked him to get an answer from CSX.

He got one, but it was not what she wanted to hear.

In the letter, dated March of this year, Maurice O’Donnell, CSX vice president for state government and community affairs, wrote to Mr. Moore, “On March 13, 2012, I called Ms. Muka and advised her that due to the fact that CSX, as the installer for the City, was not liable for claims of lost business or inconvenience resulting from the work, and since the project had been so thoroughly publicized and vetted within the community, CSX would not pay her claim for compensation.”

It is true that most people in Worcester knew that CSX was closing Putnam Lane and would be doing major construction in the neighborhood. Ms. Muka said her landlord, Steve Tankanow of Oxford Realty Trust, told her nothing. She was coming from Manhattan and apparently did not get a newspaper subscription or watch local cable.

For his part, Mr. Tankanow said he did not know that CSX would be ripping up Putnam Lane, or when.

But for CSX to call itself the contractor for the city on this project is a really breathtaking sleight of hand. Of course the storm drain down Putnam Lane is for the CSX project. Of course CSX did the work. But as a contractor for the city? It is laughable.

For its part, the city does not seem inclined to offer anything to Ms. Muka, either.

“I don’t know how there would be any compensation from the city,” said Christina Andreoli, spokeswoman for the city manager’s office.

She said the city did everything it could to notify businesses that could be affected by the work, and met with Ms. Muka and her landlord “to review options and provide resources.”

Ms. Muka said she is considering a lawsuit, but does not know whom to sue.

“I’m not the suing type,” she said. “I just don’t want to be treated like dirt.

“Between the city and CSX, they are playing me like a soccer ball, back and forth.”

Lawsuit or not, I think Ms. Muka — like the used-car lot across the street, the dog-training business on one side of her and the electrical contractor on the other — is just out of luck.

Now the only question that remains is, who is going to repair and repave Putnam Lane? Because it is still a mess more than six months after CSX finished its work “as the installer for the city” and moved on to its next project.

Ms. Andreoli said CSX is responsible for the road work and the road work is not complete.

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